Caddie profession and little known secrets

The silent companions

In the world of golf, caddies are not simply people who carry clubs. They are effective "assistants", contributing significantly to each shot. Historically, caddies were just local boys who helped carry clubs, but over time, they have become true experts, with deep knowledge of the rules of the game, the terrain of the course and the psychology of golfers.

“To work as a caddie, we have to go through a 2-3 month training course. Although we don’t directly play golf, the knowledge a caddie receives in the course will be equivalent to 60-70% of the knowledge of a coach. Therefore, we can support and advise new customers who are just starting to play,” said Mr. Le Van The (name changed, Vinh Phu ward) - a caddie with more than 2 years of experience.

According to Mr. Thế, the importance of a caddie does not stop at managing equipment. They are the golfer's second pair of eyes, the brain that calculates distance, wind direction, slope of the green (green area around the hole) ... and gives valuable tactical advice. A good caddie can help golfers save shots, avoid dangerous traps and, more importantly, create a comfortable, confident atmosphere for golfers to concentrate and maximize their abilities. It can be affirmed that caddies contribute to shaping the experience and results of each match. "Sometimes, just a slight change in wind direction is enough to change the ball's path, we have to feel that, then advise the customer which club to choose, which direction to hit", said Mr. Thế.

At golf courses in Nghe An , caddies usually work in shifts, and the first shift starts at 5am, and the last shift ends at 10-11pm. Ms. Nguyen Thi Tram (name changed, in Cua Lo ward) said: “The working time of a caddie depends on the number of holes the customer plays. In addition to 1 hour of preparation, if playing 9 holes, it takes about 2-2.5 hours. If playing 18 holes, it takes about 4-5 hours. On average, we only serve 1 customer per day, the remaining time is quite free, so some people can do other jobs in parallel.”

In the summer, in the harsh hot weather conditions of the Central region, the work of caddies is extremely hard. Following the customers, they not only carry a bag of clubs weighing from 10-20 kg but also wear a sandbag to fill in the marks left by golfers on the grass after each shot. For many hours, they continuously move for kilometers under the hot sun, at the same time, performing a series of other complex tasks such as ensuring that the clubs are always clean and ready for the next shot; reading the line (the rolling path of the ball) on the green; encouraging and reassuring the golfers; moving quickly between holes...

“We must strictly follow the rules of golf, remain absolutely silent when the golfer makes a shot, and always maintain a professional and respectful attitude in any situation. After the match, we check all the equipment, clean the clubs, and assist the golfer in completing the necessary procedures,” Mr. The shared.

Pressure and gossip

Although the working time is not much, a caddie needs to combine many skills to become professional. Specifically, it requires good health, extensive professional knowledge of golf, communication skills and understanding of psychology, the ability to observe and analyze quickly, physical strength and endurance, patience, meticulousness and dedication.

In addition, honesty and confidentiality are among the top requirements of golf course managers for caddies. Because the main customers are people with high social status and successful businessmen, all information related to them is required to be kept strictly confidential. In some cases, caddies are not even allowed to know the identities of these customers.

With a basic salary of about 3-4 million VND/month, a caddie’s income usually comes from golfer tips after each round. On days when customers are generous and tip well, it is fun, but on days when customers are slow, or customers do not tip much, the income is unstable. Despite having a companionship with the golfer, caddies do not always receive proper respect.

“With happy, easy-going customers, it’s fine. With difficult, unprofessional customers, I just want to quit. I’ve met customers who blame their caddies for no reason when they miss a shot, even swearing and insulting them… For male caddies, this pressure can be overcome, but for women it’s harder. Many women cry because of resentment. In fact, even in major tournaments, many golfers have attacked their caddies because they gave them the wrong club or read the wrong distance. At those times, you should just stay calm and patient to explain or simply keep quiet and continue working,” said Mr. Le Van The.

For women, the difficulty does not only come from psychological pressure. “We have to work outdoors, regardless of the sun, rain, heat or cold wind. Heavy golf bags, walking dozens of kilometers continuously every day causes many people to have back pain, joint pain. Afraid that the sun will darken and burn our skin, we always have to wear masks and wear gloves and socks. Not to mention, golf course grass is often sprayed with pesticides and growth stimulants to maintain the landscape, so the working environment is not really clean. In addition, for women, this is also a profession with many scandals. There are many bad stories in the profession that affect honest caddies,” Ms. Nguyen Thi Tram confided.

No matter how tired they are, the most important thing is that caddies must always stay alert while working. Only when they are alert can they swing the club, read the line, and make accurate judgments. Only when they are alert can they see where the ball will land, and avoid balls from other customers coming at them.

Mr. The confided: “Looking like that, caddies also have occupational risks. The first risk is being hit by a ball while working. In my 2 years of working, I was hit by a ball 3 times, each time leaving a bruise because the golf ball is quite heavy and the ball flies very strongly. In addition, the thing that caddies fear most is breaking their customers' clubs. When traveling by electric car, if the golf bag is not fastened carefully, it can easily fall out, which can lead to broken clubs. According to regulations, caddies must compensate customers. If it is a club worth tens of millions of dong, they will have to work for free for months.”